Before you have a cataract operation take note

After speaking to my optician yesterday to ask if i could have plain glass for my left lens until eye test in 6 weeks as the current lens is too strong now i have had cataract done. I found out that the hospital did the wrong eye, it should have been my right one and they did the left. It needed doing but was not as bad as the right eye. I can see perfectly with out glasses through the left eye but still need them for the right eye. Hence i am struggling, i will inform the hospital when they ring me for afollow up appointment and keep my fingers crossed they will hurry up and do the correct eye!!! I think this happened due to seeing so many different eye consultants and going to a completely different hospital for pre op assessment, a case of too many cooks spoil the broth!!!!! Does anyone know can you still buy monocles!!!

You need to start a new thread as you will get more replies. Personally I find a shoe with a good sole ideal. Best walking shoes are Mephisto, expensive but last for years.

Thanks for the info Floradora9. My DH is due to have it done in 3 weeks time. He's getting rather anxious about it even though he has watched several videos produced by SpaMedica, who he was referred to by the opticians. It's NHS but a very modern state of the art clinic. Can you please let me know how quickly after the op you were back to normal? He didn't seem to get this information at the assessment ( or more like forgot what he was told). I wasn't allowed in unfortunately due to Covid rules.
Purpledaffodil- sorry that you didn't get any improvement.

Hi, I have noticed in the last couple of months that the arthritis in my feet has become much worse, also in my lower back. I do like walking, and have managed with padded inner soles up to now, but they are not helping much now. Do any of you have this problem, have you found shoes that have made walking more comfortable for you. At the moment when I go walking it feels as if I’m walking on small stones. I have very comfortable trainers which have been a big help in the winter months but I will need shoes for the warmer weather.

Thank you for those reassurances.

Luckygirl13 I have dyspraxia, which comes with poor balance built in and I had no problem.

Before the first operation I got the optician to take the relevant lens taken out of a spare pair of glasses and replaced it with plain glass, or you could just leave it without a lens and I found that worked very well. My eye quickly adjusted and six weeks later I had another eye test and glasses made up to my exact prescription.

Fleur20

Out of curiosity.. was this NHS treatment or private?

NHS Scotland I was lucky to get them done during and near the end of the pandemic but I guess these consultants cannot use their skills in other departments. One was done in March and the second in December.

Luckygirl3

That is interesting Floradora9 - I have been given the choice by the hospital as to when I have mine done. Driving at night is a problem for me, and I do it very rarely and only well-known routes.

My concern, as I have some balance problems, is that having a different prescription in each eye might make me dizzy and seasick - how did you fare?

That is why they do not do a full correction in the first eye . I had no problems at all I found an old pair of glasses that suited the first eye done well and I saw OK with the old one. Now I have proper glasses suitable for both eyes I see so well .

That is interesting, because I though that adjustment was standard, so many people I know have had it.

My eyes were treated over 15 years ago. My eyes were so unbalanced (-5 in one, -9 in the other) that the surgeon said he couldn't make me glasses free but he asked me whether i wanted to wear glasses for reading or driving. I opted for driving, so for all normal purposes, except distance, I am glasses free.

Luckygirl3

So it did not make you feel giddy having such different sight in each eye...?

After a TIA last November, I am left with significant differences in vision between my eyes, I have lost vision in about 1/8 of my left eye so have needed all my glasses changed. I have not noticed feeling giddy or unbalanced with having different sight in each eye.

My optician, who first diagnosed the TIA from the scar on my eye, told me that my brain would retrain itself to correct some of the loss and subsequent tests have confirmed that. When I am tired, the loss of vision is more noticeable to me and can be quite irritating, making it difficult to concentrate on reading or close craft work.

I now need bifocal glasses for driving so I can see long distance and also see the dashboard computer.

So it did not make you feel giddy having such different sight in each eye...?

Out of curiosity.. was this NHS treatment or private?

I had my very short sighted eye 1 corrected for distance vision - miraculous - and the other eye for reading. I need glasses for prolonged close work but can shop etc without them. Quite fantastic!

That is interesting Floradora9 - I have been given the choice by the hospital as to when I have mine done. Driving at night is a problem for me, and I do it very rarely and only well-known routes.

My concern, as I have some balance problems, is that having a different prescription in each eye might make me dizzy and seasick - how did you fare?

Interesting! I had a cataract op in December. So disappointing! Eyes showed no improvement and I had lots of after effects. Turned down going on list for second op.

Thanks for the information- I’m not due for this operation at the moment but have made a note should I need this in the future. Just hope the surgeon listens to me!